Thunder rumble the whole night and when it calmed down, the heavens had already been split.

A jagged fracture tore through the sky and space itself peeling back like fragile glass.

From that wound, a lone figure stepped through, his robes untouched by the violent turbulence behind him.

His boots met the earth with quiet authority.

He paused to draw in a slow, deliberate breath, he let the air fill his lungs, savoring it as though it were the finest wine.

"...So this is it," he murmured, eyes half-lidded in satisfaction. "The scent of an untainted realm."

His exhale carried something close to reverence.

A second figure emerged moments later, a young woman. The moment her gaze landed on him, her expression twisted in open disgust.

She recoiled a step, sleeves flicking as though to brush away something unclean.

"What a pervert," she snapped coldly. "Keep your distance."

The man only smirked faintly, neither denying nor acknowledging her accusation.

Following the two, more people also stepped out of spatial rift.

Dozens turned into hundreds as silhouettes poured from the rift, one after another, until the air itself seemed crowded with overwhelming presences.

Every single one radiated power of at least Nascent Soul... with a few even showing themselves to be at the Hollow spirit realm.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sound of clapping spread across the air as the cultivators continue to trickle in like water.

"Look at that..." a voice rang out, smooth yet laced with mockery. "So many bugs came crawling in."

As the words settled, the space rippled and a woman appeared as if she had always been there, standing high above the ground.

Beneath her foot was the collosus beast, Xuanwu. Each breath it took stirred the surrounding air like a rising tide.

At her side, was Xiao Bai, a massive white tiger-like beast prowling forward, its fur gleaming like freshly fallen snow.

She looked down at the gathered cultivators, her lips curving into a smile that held no warmth.

"Welcome... welcome," she said, her tone almost delighted, yet chilling to the bone. "I’ve been waiting for this day for so long now."

Her words had barely settled before the crowd erupted.

Laughter spread like wildfire among the descending cultivators, echoing across the sky as if her declaration was the greatest joke they had heard in years.

"You’ve been waiting for this?" one of them sneered, his voice dripping with ridicule. "What for? To kneel and beg for mercy?"

Another burst out laughing from deeper within the crowd, the sound loud and exaggerated, as though feeding off the arrogance of those around him.

The pressure in the air grew heavier from sheer contempt.

And then, the first man who had stepped through the spatial rift moved again.

His robes swayed as he advanced, each step measured, his presence naturally drawing attention.

The faint smirk on his lips never left, as though everything before him was already within his grasp.

"I am Shan Yueyan," he announced, his tone casual yet carrying an undeniable authority. His gaze swept over her, slow and deliberate, assessing rather than admiring.

"Young lady... your appearance is passable."

A few chuckles rippled through the crowd.

"If you serve me as a maidservant," he continued, tilting his head slightly, the smirk deepening, "I might consider sparing your life."

The arrogance in his voice wasn’t forced but ingrained, it was as natural as breathing itself.

For a brief moment, silence followed waiting for her response.

To which Lin Zhaoyue smiled in amusement, a soft, almost indulgent smile.

"It’s always amusing," she said lightly, her voice calm yet cutting through the noise with effortless clarity, "how the first batch to enter a lower realm... are always idiots like you."

With a slight lift of her hand, the air trembled and then folded inward.

A vast dome unfurled above them, shimmering like liquid glass as it expanded in an instant, sealing the fractured sky and the scarred earth beneath it.

Light rippled across its surface in quiet waves, impenetrable and absolute.

For a heartbeat, the invading cultivators hesitated.

Then their confusion twisted into laughter. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"You think you’ve trapped us?" someone shouted, his voice brimming with scorn. "Foolish woman—"

"You’re the one trapped in here with us!"

The tension snapped as they surged forward as one, hundreds of figures tearing through the air, their auras flaring like a storm unleashed.

Lin Zhaoyue didn’t even glance at them, her eyes shifted slightly to the side making eye contact with Xiao Bai.

Noticing the signal, the white tiger’s muscles coiled, its frame lowering for the briefest moment before it vanished from its spot.

The ground beneath it shattered from the force of its launch.

What followed was a devastating streak of white tearing through the advancing cultivators, faster than their sight could properly follow.

The moment of impact came like a collapsing mountain as dozens were sent flying instantly. Bodies collided midair, protective barriers shattered like brittle glass, and the sky filled with the sharp, chaotic echoes of impact.

Before they could recover, Xuanwu also moved.

The ancient beast shifted its colossal weight and brought a single limb down.

Entire sections of terrain surged upward like awakening giants, stone and soil twisting violently as towering ridges erupted beneath the invaders.

Those caught off guard were thrown off balance, their footing stolen as the battlefield itself turned against them.

But the invaders did not crumble so easily.

They had lived for centuries in the higher realm.

To fall to a mere lower realm? An inferior realm?

That would be a disgrace they would never accept.

With roars that carried both fury and pride, they stabilized themselves mid-chaos and retaliated. Blades flashed, techniques surged, and killing intent thickened the air as a coordinated counterattack descended.

But even when bades and techniques rained down upon Xiao Bai, colliding against its body in bursts of light and force.

Xiao Bai did not slow down. Its fur remained pristine, its movements unbroken, as though the attacks striking it were nothing more than passing raindrops.

Xuanwu was even worse to face.

Strikes that could shatter mountains landed upon its shell, only to vanish without a trace.

There was not even a scratch to be seen on the tortoise shell.